I've stopped smoking (almost, mostly) and drinking (regularly, or every night) and I don't take any drugs; I don't drink much coffee but I drink a lot more water than before and in a consistent fashion. This ought to help, right? What should I eat and when?

all that stuff is indeed good & ought to help.

as far as diet, there's a few things. lots of fruits & vegetables, leafy greens (kale, spinach, chard, etc - tons & tons of iron, which is good for combating fatigues) especially. in general I try to get most of my carbs from fruits & vegetables rather than from bread, rice (esp. white), potatoes, pasta, etc tho I do eat quite a bit of oatmeal. low-fat protein sources like chicken (not fried, mind), turkey, fish, egg whites, but no red meat. nuts & seeds, also nut butters (if peanut butter, the real stuff rather than Jif or whatever). no or v. little refined sugar - no sweets, no soda, and so on. refined sugar is like f**king poison. be on the lookout on labels for words like sucrose, maltose, corn syrup, which all just mean sugar. this is also the reason for avoiding refined carbs from bread, pasta, etc (esp that made from white flour) which quickly break down into simple sugars in your body. also be on the lookout for sugar in foods where you wouldn't expect it.

as to when, multiple small meals are always preferrable to one big meal - keeps the body's blood sugar steady - this is why, for example, if you eat a bunch of refined sugar you'll get a burst of energy & then crash. I try to make sure every small meal is relatively balanced.

of course, every person is slightly different. for example, I run, do fairly serious weight training multiple times a week & train muay thai almost every day, so I eat quite a lot, including quite a bit of protein. other people's needs will be different, based on age, weight, metabolism, level of activity & so on. it depends on what your goals are as well. I mean, I'm really strict about it - I drink a beer once in a while & I occasionally drink coffee, but that's about it, & I never eat sweets. not everyone will want to take it that seriously, & that's absolutely fine. still, I think all of the above is general advice that anyone can utilize - you just have to gear it to your own needs.

sorry, I don't mean to go on & on but as you may be able to tell this is a subject about which I'm fairly passionate & I tend to nerd out about it the way some dudes nerd out about obscure dancehall 12"s or particle physics or whatever. hope some of it helps.

also, to go on a bit more, v. quick on the topic of exercise, I recommend to you - actually to everyone - weight training. specifically Olympic lifting (deadlift, clean, clean + jerk, snatch, etc). for so, so, so many reasons. can be used as cross-training waerobic stuff like/running, cycling, etc; actually Olympic lifting can be aerobic in & of itself, a la Crossfit, but that's a bit of a different ballgame. anyway.

one disclaimer: v. important to make sure you learn technique & do it properly - don't want to feel like I set anyone up to get injured

you already know the answer. no booze, no fags, no caffine, no late nights, do the things you love and cut out the self-flagellation. dont do tai chi you'll look ridiculous. its for old people as any chinese person will tell you. also be vegetarian.

The majority of what I would add has been covered, but I thought I would weigh in with what has helped me recently! I find that plenty of fruit throughout the day, coupled with plenty of water should make you feel better. Also walking/cycling rather than public transport/car, basically some good exercise will help massively. I have been taking cod liver oil for the past 4/5 months, which has increased my energy, and general feeling of well being tenfold! Rather than the capsules though I prefer to mix a teaspoonís worth (or thereabouts) with double the amount of milk, shake thoroughly until mixed then down the hole (your stomach will absorb it better than the capsules this way, before eating is the best time). Hope that helps!

also, to go on a bit more, v. quick on the topic of exercise, I recommend to you - actually to everyone - weight training. specifically Olympic lifting (deadlift, clean, clean + jerk, snatch, etc). for so, so, so many reasons. can be used as cross-training waerobic stuff like/running, cycling, etc; actually Olympic lifting can be aerobic in & of itself, a la Crossfit, but that's a bit of a different ballgame. anyway.

one disclaimer: v. important to make sure you learn technique & do it properly - don't want to feel like I set anyone up to get injured

I really really want to start weight training again. I absolutely loved it. It's the combination of physical exercise and being able to nerd out as Padraig said.

I am a show-off I learned. I wasnít always a show-off when I was younger, I was very shy actually, which is the opposite of the way I am now. And I learned I liked the attention I get from this. Iím motivated by, now it might be Ö I thought about this a lot Ö I was shy and sickly a lot as a kid, I wasnít popular with women, or even felt very uncomfortable with them. And I think somehow, because it coincided with me getting strong and getting respect from the men, it became very much a part of my self-image. I could do this. So itís so deep, that I just do it because itís part of my self-image.

Now, of course my best friends have told me, ďYou donít need this! What are you proving?Ē, but itís deep

I'd say exercise (combined with sleep - not simultaneous though) definitely number one - human beings aren't meant to be sedentary, and yet so many of us spend vast amounts of time that way due to our job and, er, the pub. Personally, even a slight bit of aerobic makes me feel I've got more energy, though I prefer weights cos they're less boring.

I'd also add that psychological factors can be very important, beyond all the physical stuff. Any way you can cut down worrying/let your worries out will give you loads more energy.

ive done manual labour all y life. i reccomend that. never work in an office whatever you do. i read in the paper it makes men have bodies like women. pear shaped. big hips and thighs and narrow shoulders. who wants to look like that.
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this bloke will sort oyu out.